🧠 High-Yield Neurology Topics for NEET PG

1. Stroke & Cerebrovascular Disease ⭐⭐⭐ (Most Repeated)

• Ischemic stroke management — tPA (alteplase) thrombolysis criteria: window period (4.5 hrs), contraindications
• Hemorrhagic vs. ischemic stroke — CT findings (hyperdense vs. hypodense)
• Lacunar infarcts — pure motor, pure sensory, ataxic hemiparesis syndromes
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage — "worst headache of life," xanthochromia on LP, Berry aneurysm
• Wallenberg syndrome (lateral medullary) — crossed findings, dysphagia, Horner's
• Weber's syndrome, Benedikt's syndrome — midbrain lesion localization
• Antiplatelet therapy — aspirin + clopidogrel (dual antiplatelet for minor stroke/TIA)
• Mechanical thrombectomy — extended window up to 24 hrs

2. Epilepsy & Seizures ⭐⭐⭐

• Febrile seizures — simple vs. complex; IV diazepam for acute management (NEET PG 2025 recall)
• Status epilepticus — stepwise management: benzodiazepine → phenytoin/fosphenytoin → levetiracetam → anesthesia
• Drug of choice by seizure type:
  • Absence seizures → Ethosuximide (drug of choice) / Valproate
  • Myoclonic → Valproate
  • Tonic-clonic → Valproate / Levetiracetam
  • Focal → Carbamazepine / Lamotrigine
• Lennox-Gastaut syndrome — multiple seizure types, slow spike-wave
• West syndrome (infantile spasms) — hypsarrhythmia on EEG, ACTH treatment
• Drug teratogenicity — Valproate (neural tube defects), Carbamazepine (spina bifida)
• Anti-epileptic drug monitoring — phenytoin toxicity (nystagmus, ataxia, gum hypertrophy)

3. Headache ⭐⭐⭐

• Migraine — unilateral, pulsating, nausea/photophobia/phonophobia
  • Acute: Sumatriptan (DOC — NEET PG PYQ)
  • Prophylaxis: Propranolol (DOC), Topiramate, Amitriptyline, Flunarizine
  • Contraindication: Triptans in CAD, hemiplegic migraine
• Cluster headache — unilateral periorbital, autonomic features (lacrimation, rhinorrhea); acute = 100% O₂, sumatriptan; prophylaxis = Verapamil
• Tension headache — bilateral, band-like; DOC = NSAIDs
• Medication overuse headache — chronic daily headache from analgesic overuse (NEET PG PYQ)
• Trigeminal neuralgia — lancinating, V2/V3; DOC = Carbamazepine

4. Movement Disorders ⭐⭐⭐

• Parkinson's disease:
  • Pathology: Lewy bodies, substantia nigra depigmentation
  • Subthalamic nucleus — target in Hemi-ballismus (NEET PG PYQ)
  • Treatment: Levodopa + carbidopa; dopamine agonists (pramipexole, ropinirole)
  • On-off phenomenon, wearing-off effect
• Essential tremor — postural/kinetic tremor; DOC = Propranolol
• Huntington's disease — CAG repeat, caudate atrophy, chorea, dementia
• Hemi-ballismus — subthalamic nucleus lesion (contralateral)
• Wilson's disease — Kayser-Fleischer rings, liver + basal ganglia
• Tardive dyskinesia — antipsychotic-induced; manage with clonazepam, tetrabenazine

5. Demyelinating Diseases ⭐⭐

• Multiple sclerosis — relapsing-remitting; MRI: periventricular plaques (Dawson's fingers), oligoclonal bands in CSF; acute = IV methylprednisolone
• Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) — ascending flaccid paralysis, post-infectious; CSF: albuminocytological dissociation; treatment = IVIG or plasmapheresis
• Miller Fisher variant — ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, areflexia; anti-GQ1b antibody

6. CNS Infections ⭐⭐

• Bacterial meningitis — CSF: turbid, ↑neutrophils, ↑protein, ↓glucose; empirical treatment = ceftriaxone + vancomycin
• Tubercular meningitis — CSF: lymphocytosis, high protein, very low glucose; cobweb clot
• Viral meningitis — CSF: lymphocytosis, normal glucose
• Herpes encephalitis — temporal lobe involvement; Cowdry A inclusions; treat with acyclovir
• Cryptococcal meningitis — India ink stain; CSF: high opening pressure; treat with amphotericin B + flucytosine
• Rabies — Negri bodies in hippocampus; hydrophobia; Purkinje cells affected

7. Neuromuscular Junction & Peripheral Nerve ⭐⭐

• Myasthenia gravis (MG) — fatigable weakness, anti-AChR antibodies, thymoma association; edrophonium (Tensilon) test; Rx: pyridostigmine, thymectomy, steroids
• Lambert-Eaton syndrome — paraneoplastic (small cell lung cancer), anti-VGCC antibodies; weakness improves with repeated use
• Bell's palsy — LMN facial palsy; DOC = prednisolone; complete eye closure lost
• Carpal tunnel syndrome — median nerve compression; Tinel's & Phalen's sign

8. Spinal Cord Disorders ⭐⭐

• Brown-Séquard syndrome — ipsilateral motor + proprioception loss; contralateral pain/temp loss
• Syringomyelia — cape-like sensory loss (pain/temp), preserved proprioception
• Subacute combined degeneration — B12 deficiency; dorsal + lateral column degeneration
• Anterior cord syndrome — paraplegia + loss of pain/temp; preserved vibration/proprioception
• Tabes dorsalis — syphilis; posterior column; Argyll Robertson pupil
• Cauda equina syndrome — saddle anesthesia, bladder/bowel dysfunction

9. Neuropharmacology ⭐⭐

10. Miscellaneous High-Yield Topics ⭐⭐

• Central pontine myelinolysis (osmotic demyelination) — rapid correction of hyponatremia → quadriparesis; confirmed by MRI (NEET PG 2025 PYQ)
• Tay-Sachs disease — hexosaminidase A deficiency, cherry-red spot (NEET PG 2025 PYQ)
• Mucopolysaccharidoses (Hurler — α-L-iduronidase, dermatan + heparan sulfate accumulation — NEET PG 2025 PYQ)
• Anterior horn cell lesion — LMN signs, muscle wasting (NEET PG 2025 PYQ)
• Neurofibromatosis — NF1 (café-au-lait, Lisch nodules) vs. NF2 (bilateral acoustic neuromas)
• Brain tumors — Medulloblastoma (posterior fossa, child), GBM (butterfly pattern, adults), Meningioma (women)
• Normal pressure hydrocephalus — wet, wacky, wobbly (urinary incontinence, dementia, gait ataxia)

📊 Exam Strategy Summary

Neurology contributes approximately 6–8 questions in NEET PG out of the Medicine block. With Cardiology and Nephrology, these three specialties form the highest-yield medicine triad.